Bandon!

Last weekend, we took a fabulous 4-day trip to Bandon to visit Grammy and Kelly! The kids were amazing on the long drive. Brielle definitely understands where we're going, so she's patient. And we wondered if Ronan finally knows too, since he was so good. Both of them applauded with joy when we drove into their driveway. They knew what fun was in store for them.

We worked through our regular menu of Bandon fun, including playing with the toys and swing inside, playing and relaxing on the sunny deck, going on walks, and visiting the beach.

We had such a cute photo of Ronan posing in their front yard with the hydrangeas during the last visit, that I decided to make it a tradition to take a photo of him there.

This is his "cheese" face...

Right after we arrived, Brielle was ready to go out on the boat on the lake with Kelly.

Ronan stayed with us and ran around the deck as we watched Brielle in the boat.

The kids helped Grammy cook.

And we had birthday cupcakes for Daddy.

The kids always love taking walks around the neighborhood and lake with Grammy and Kelly. Unfortunately, doggie Rosie passed away recently, so they were no longer doing it to walk their little friend. Ronan noticed Rosie wasn't there and asked to see her. We were impressed and sad at the same time.

Whenever we take a walk, we run into friendly neighbors who love seeing how the kids have grown. Special friends, like June and Jerry, will set up surprises (e.g., special rocks or shells) for Brielle to discover.

Ronan needed a little bit of downtime to do one of his favorite activities - watching videos on YouTube of Roomba and Scooba vacuum robots doing their thing. At this age, Brielle had a similar phase where she was obsessed with watching videos of toddlers going down slides. She'd get in my face, saying, "Baby slide? Baby slide?" Ronan does the same thing, saying either "Robot on?" or "More Ebot!" (We figured out that "Ebot" refers specifically to the Scooba robot.

We also enjoyed a visit to our favorite Bandon Chinese restaurant (or maybe it's the only one there) with Grandpa Taylor and Linda!

Yay! Sassy dog came too!

We had a nice sunny day to enjoy the beach. Grammy found a special spot where you can play in the water a little bit inland where the wind isn't strong (which, unfortunately, is often an issue there).

The kids had a great time digging up sand and throwing it in the stream.

I love this shot...

Back at home, we engaged in the annual blackberry picking celebration in Grammy and Kelly's yard. For those of you who don't know, blackberries grow like weeds and most people have them in their yards or at least somewhere along a street in their neighborhoods. It would be more exciting if the plants didn't have prickers all over them. Luckily, the kids were being very careful. Why can't blueberries grow like weeds here?!

The kids also enjoyed spending time in the hot tub on the deck. This is only the second time we've taken Ronan in. The first time he wasn't feeling good and immediately fussed to get out. This time he had a blast.

I love visiting Bandon!!!

And, of course, the kids do too.

Thank you, Grammy and Kelly, for another amazing visit! We can't wait to see you again!